Three months after his sudden death, the Nashville Medical Examiner’s Office has disclosed that producer Tay Keith died from a combination of mitragynine, 7-hydroxy mitragynine, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, and ketamine toxicity.
Mitragynine is the active compound in kratom, a Southeast Asian plant commonly used for pain relief, relaxation, and energy. The manner of death has been listed as accidental.
Tay Keith, born BryTavious Lakeith Chambers, was just 29 years old when he was found unresponsive in his Nashville apartment on June 18.
His girlfriend had asked police to conduct a welfare check, and officers noted at the time that no foul play was suspected. The report confirming his cause of death was published by ABC News on September 17.
The Memphis-raised producer had built one of the most recognizable sounds in rap over the past decade, working with Drake, Travis Scott, and Sexyy Red, among many others.
He was Grammy-nominated and widely credited with shaping the sonic identity of a generation of rap hits. His fingerprints were all over some of the biggest records of the last several years.
In the wake of his passing, his family released a statement that drew a clear line between the public figure and the person they knew. “While the world knew him as Tay Keith, his family knew him as BryTavious, a source of love, strength, laughter, and guidance,” the statement read.
They asked for privacy and prayers while noting that memorial arrangements would be shared at a later date.
The family also addressed his legacy directly, saying they take comfort in knowing it will live on “through the music he created, the opportunities he provided, and the lives he touched.” That sentiment has been echoed widely across the rap community since his death in June.
Producers, artists, and fans alike paid tribute to a figure who shaped the sound of modern rap without always getting the mainstream credit that the artists he worked with received.
Kratom exists in a complicated legal and cultural space in the United States. It is not federally regulated as a controlled substance, but several states have moved to restrict or ban it due to concerns about dependency and overdose risk, particularly when combined with other substances.
The presence of ketamine alongside the kratom compounds in Tay Keith’s system adds another layer to the story that will likely prompt further conversation about substance use in creative industries.
XXL has reached out to the Tennessee Medical Examiner’s Office and Tay Keith’s team for comment, and neither had responded at the time of publication. The full picture of what happened that night in June is still coming into focus.
